The Western Australian Police Force has launched an international recruitment campaign targeting police officers from the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand to come to work in WA.
The campaign follows the signing of a Labour Agreement between the Federal and WA Governments, the first of its kind in Australia.
The Agreement enables the State to begin recruiting police officers from overseas ahead of every other State and Territory.
Under the new Labour Agreement, skilled police officers from the UK and Ireland will get entry into WA over the next five years under the Employer Nominated Scheme Visa, which enables their transition into the WA Police Force and places them on a pathway to citizenship.
The previous Labour Agreement, which allowed WA to recruit officers from the UK, expired in 2019. WA Police have not actively recruited overseas since 2017.
Minister for Police, Paul Papalia said every State in Australia was currently trying to get Labour Agreements signed to allow for overseas recruitment in a range of sectors, including police.
“WA securing the first of such an agreement gives our State a strong head-start to attract the best possible police candidates from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand,” Mr Papalia said.
“The Western Australian Police Force has already recruited more than 1,000 new officers over the past two years. We have more than 480 additional officers on the beat right now, compared with when we took office.”
Police Commissioner, Col Blanch said policing styles in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand were quite compatible with WA’s and transition programs had previously worked well.
“My message to officers working in those countries is simple. We want skilled, experienced constables to work on the front-line to help us cover the biggest policing jurisdiction in the world,” Commissioner Blanch said.
“If you have at least three years’ experience in your Police Force and you are under 55 years of age, we want to hear from you.”
